BMW really wants to "milk" their customers

With friends like BMW, who needs enemies ?

 

That's why I service all my cars by myself.

 

Interesting - BMW dealers that want more work.

My ownership experience with my last BMW found them very unwilling to do maintenance under their 4 year 50,000 mile service arrangement. Everything was a struggle and I finally decided the experience with dealer and BMW North America was so bad I no longer wanted the car so that I did not have to deal with them any longer.

Must be they want the work once the warranty is done!!

 

I loved my BMW, but part costs are astronomical. The cooling and climate control were notoriously bad, expensive to repair, and both failed twice for me. Overall, I liked the vehicle, I did most of my own maintenance after I figured out that the dealer was going to overcharge me for every little thing. I enjoy repairing my own cars, for the most part. I took Prius to the shop for the tranny oil change because I just wasn't that interested in getting messy. One day I'll figure out how to do a brake job, if these brake pads ever wear out.

 

The article implies that BMW is putting time and money into getting customers to the dealer.

Why ? What is in it for BMW ?

The only answer I can come up with is that BMW wants to improve the resale value of all those cars it takes back from leasing. Perhaps they realized that part of the poor reliability record is from poor general maintenance.

 

I suspect every dealer will try an upsell if they think they can get away with it. When the dealer points out your wiper blades "need" to be replaced & offers to do it, that is upselling. Asking if you want the cabin air filter replaced is upselling.

So, BMW dealers upsell! What a revelation.

I'd rather have a system that relays useful information than a cryptic idiot light but I'm not paying for it unless some real value can be demonstrated. An oil change that is based on the condition of the oil rather than a set number of miles is a step in the right direction.

Interesting how when the maintenance is on BMW's dime it's not needed but becomes vital when the owner pays.

If the owner doesn't visit the dealer then the service dept. doesn't make money, BMW doesn't sell parts, and the owner can't see the nice shiny new BMW.

 

I've owned a heck of a lot of cars in the past 40 years, and without a doubt my BMW 5 series was the most fun to drive of any of them. Needless to say, they found a way to charge my extended warranty as often as they could. When that warranty ran out, so did I.

It just seems with Japanese cars you just change the fluids that need to changed and you're good to go for many years.


iPad ?

 

My Honda Fit has a little service reminder on the panel that flashes a code for precisely the service the car needs.

Reference it against the owner's manual, and then go to the dealer.

Tell them it needs 'H-1' and they have form for that, which lists the same items as the owner's manual. And it seems to be at a fixed cost, at least between dealers in my city.

My first Honda, and the first time I've never been upsold for more work than necessary.

No fuel injector cleaner, no transmission flush, nothing. It didn't even come up in conversation.

With the old Lexus, I went in for what was basically an oil change, and presented with a $225 bill. The little bottle of water and greasy doughnut in the lounge didn't quite make up for that!

 

its all about the customer = its all about the money

 

But you get what you pay for.

In my town many of the dealers for exclusive models provide a taxi (me ) to take you to your office once you drop your car off for service and pick you up again later. Now this is free at point of use for their customer, but they and everyone else knows you'll be paying for it somewhere. So you pay more for your BMW service, but you get more too and often your company are picking up the tab anyhow.

It is also common for BMW and Mercedes to upgrade you to a higher spec courtesy car - a 5 Series when your 3 series is in for service etc, as they know you might upgrade next time.

We're comparing chalk and cheese again guys. Pay economy, get economy. Pay upmarket and get upmarket.

 

The G35 is going in tomorrow for its transmission flush at a Nissan dealership. $610 at Infiniti because the give you a rental car vs $300 at the Nissan dealer. They advise against this because apparently only Infiniti knows the G even though the VQ35 is the same as in the 350z, Altima, Maxima, Quest

 

Contrast and compare to Lexus in my town: The dealership keeps a fleet of nice cars for courtesy rental to customers while their car is in service. This extends to the gratis car washes. A couple weeks ago I knew the car wash would take longer than I wanted to wait, so I grabbed a car and took care of some errands instead.

Service: free
Rental: free

Now of course Lexus thinks/hopes revenue will be forthcoming, but it is not assured. Very soft sell.

 

Yeah but doesn't every dealer give a free courtesy car for when yours is in for service? My Toyota dealer way and vac my car too when its been in. Free coffee and tea and biscuits too. That keeps me sweet.

 

You're half right: Pay economy, get economy.

Pay upmarket and get ripped off.

 

No.

 

I was someone who was "milked" dry by BMW back in the 80's and 90's when I owned one and leased another. I loved the '87 325ES, but I developed a real hatred for their service practices. Looks like nothing has changed.

So far, and almost three years into my GenIII Prius hatchback, I've spent about $150 total at the dealer, plus my own 0W20 oil, and not counting the very unfortunate $600 continuing investment I've had with my Toyo Proxes tires.